ISRO Chairman Speech live in PtRSU Convocation Ceremony (Dikshant Samaroh) Raipur - Pt. Ravishankar Universtry 17th Convocation Ceremony Address by Eminent Indian Space Scientist Dr. K. RadhaKrishnan, Chairman Space Research Organisation, Chairman Space Commission, Secretary Department of Space India is made in front of graduating students and gold medalists at RSU Auditorium.

Dr. K. RadhaKrishnan Video Live from Pandit Ravishankar Shukla University :-

Your Excellency, the Governor of Chhattisgarh and the Chancellor of Pt. Ravishankar Shukla University Shri Shekhar Dutt; Hon’ble Chief Minister of Chhattisgarh Dr. Raman Singh; MP of Raipur Loksabha Shri Ramesh Bais; President of Chhattisgarh Legislature Shri Dharamlal Kaushik; Minister of Culture, Tourism & School Education Shri Brijmohan Agrawal; Minister of Higher Education, Science & Technology Shri Hemchand Yadav; Minister of Urban Development, Housing, Environment & Transport Shri Rajesh Munat; Leader of the Congress Legislature Party Shri Ravindra Chaubey; Mayor Raipur Dr. Kiranmayee Nayak; Distinguished Vice-Chancellor Dr. Shiv Kumar Pandey; Registrar of the University Shri K.K. Chandrakar; The Members of Executive Council, Academic Council and Board of Studies; Erudite Deans and Faculty Members; Graduating Students and their proud parents; Distinguished invitees; Friends from the media; Ladies and Gentlemen I deem it my proud privilege to be invited here to participate in this solemn event and also to deliver the 17th convocation address of Pt. Ravishankar Shukla University named after the first Chief Minister of the erst-while Madhya Pradesh State.

At the outset, I offer my special greetings to the students who are receiving their degrees from this prestigious Institute. Congratulations! my dear yotmg friends, and also congratulations to your parents and teachers who must be evenly proud on your academic excellence which comes to fructification today.

I am also elated to be alongside you to receive the Honorary Doctorate. I accept this admiration with paramount gratitude and humility. Friends, convocations are milestones. It recognizes, not only the accomplishment of a significant goal, but also the promise of an exciting future. As you look to that future, I wish you to consider the option of taking action on the key technical, social or environmental issues that our country is facing today. Please bear in your enlightened minds that we make a living by what we earn; we make a life by what we contribute.

As I step into this picturesque state of Chhattisgarh I sense a hint of excitement and joy. I am amazed with the natural beauty that is more beautiful than what it appeared to me from our satellite images, as it gets intertwined with the social and cultural legacy of this part of the country. In our younger days, I remember to be enthralled by Teejan
Bai, the global face of Pandwani. In your day of glory, allow me to elucidate, how science and technology with a sense of purpose could discover avenues for significant social accentuation and improvements in the quality of life of people on a sustainable manner.

Five decades ago, the fotmding father ofthe Indian Space Programme Dr. Vikram A. S arabhai envisioned a meaningful role for space science and technology in finding solutions to the problems ofthe common man and society as a whole in our country - quite in contrast to approaches
pursued by the other space-faring nations of that era.

I take immense pride that the vision enunciated by Dr. Sarabhai echoes the core values that ISRO has enshrined in its management philosophy and govemance structure, while engaging itself in a quite challenging domain of space technology involving complex and large, high technology systems that are required to function in un-forgiving space, environments that are often un-predictable or less understood.
Today, we are a leading space-faring nation in terms of technological capability and capacity. Currently, with an enviable constellation of 9 geostationary satellites and 8 polar orbiting satellites; space-based infrastructure for a wide band of applications pertaining to communications, broadcasting and Earth observations is provided. Our
operational launch vehicle PSLV had 16 successive successful missions. PSLV has also launched so far 25 satellites for foreign customers. We have also successfully launched some of our communication and weather satellites into geostationary orbit with our GSLV and we have specific plans for the future to induct the Indian Cryogenic Stage. Under a commercial alliance, we also built two communication satellites for European agencies. Our Chandrayaan§l paved way for one of the astounding discoveries ofthe millennium, i.e., the presence of water and hydroxyl molecules in the lunar environment and the subsequent finding of sub-surface water ice in the permanently shadowed craters ofthe lunar north-pole.

And during all these years of existence, we stood as the role model in the frontier of space based societal services and disaster management support.

Convocation Address at Pt. Ravishankar Shukla university Space-based applications focussed towards food and water security, weather and climate, environment and ecosystem, education and health care, skill development, rural communication, infrastructure development, disaster
management support, smart governance and sustainable development.
With a wide geographical area of 1,35 Lakh sq. Km covered with 45 % of rich forest reserves and a wealth of minerals, like coal, iron, lime stone etc., your beautiful state opened up diverse avenues for ISRO to implement some of our flagship programmes related to natural resources management.

I would like to highlight a few of them which are of much use for the State: We have carried out many useful projects for the state using RESOURCESAT and CARTOSAT data.

Mother Nature has bestowed you with rich forest and bio-diversity which needs extra care. Our Forest Management lnfonnation System has provided the infonnation back-bone for better management of forests. We also developed a comprehensive Natural Resources database with infomation system which facilitates decision making up to village level for various projects being utilized by several government schemes, like Sarva Gramin Rojgar Yojna (SGRY), Pradhanmantri Gram
Sadak Yojna (PMGSY), Infrastructure, Anganwadi, Education, Medical, PWD etc.

Prioritization of watersheds and water resources development for Panchayat and Rural Development Departments in the State. Also,
Estimation of water spread area and aquaculture potential of village ponds could be accomplished.

For Land Records Department and many of the e-Governance services in your State we developed Village maps for more than 20,000 Villages to provide digital databases on a GIS platform. Many projects related to geological exploration for minerals have been undertaken in the State
using remote sensing images. Space based remote sensing data could be used in future to generate and provide Resource Atlas for the entire
State addressing various natural resources for better management at village panchayat level which will also include monitoring of vegetation status; crop acreage and production estimation on a sustained basis; establishment of State Information System with geo-scientific and
socio-economic parameters; Disaster management information system etc.

We started satellite based communication system with the primary objective to connect the entire country along with the inaccessible terrains. Other aspects included broadcasting of` information to retain cultural integrity and developmental program to propagate appropriate practices for health, hygiene and dissemination of knowledge and
continuing education across the country. This system augurs greatly with the National Rural Health Mission or literacy campaigns that have been taken up by the planning commission.

Nationally, thousands of classrooms across the country are connected to each other with INSAT Satellite bandwidth on the highly acclaimed tel-education programme. Around 500 village resource centers are set up with help from the state governments, NGOs etc. across the nation to provide information about natural resources, job opportunities, e-govemance and tele-medicine, tele-education services.

The education for all Campaign thus converges with Indian space program. The Chhattisgarh State has been largely benefitted from
such a program. A For example, about 50 schools in the state with a Hub established in Raipur itself to complement your enviable 65% literacy rate. A About 110 terminals have been installed for Panchayat and Rural Development Department to facilitate Teleconferencing and training at Block level through the expert centre located at SIRD, Raipur

At this juncture, I would like to compliment the Government of Chhattisgarh for the fantastic foresight that was shown by having initiated the establishment of Chhattisgarh Space Application Centre in as early as 2003.

Today, this organization engages itself in activities related to remote sensing and GIS based applications and SATCOM (earlier EDUSAT) based training, tele-education and health related projects.

Let me turn now to the graduating students. You will now be are entering into a new phase in your life, a life full.

Dr. K. Radhakrishnan